Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.
Y Rum vs. W Rum
In May of 1768, New York and Boston agreed to boycott British goods in protest of the Townshend Duties. The July 21st edition of the New-York Journal contained a note from Boston stating that the imports from Britain had declined, but the duties collected had created a scarcity of cash. The newspaper contained no indication of the effect of the boycott or duties on the residents of New York.
Colden stocked his store largely with British imports. This week he had done a brisk business. Four of the days had sales of over one hundred items. Today, Saturday, July 23, 1768, (250 years-ago today) was one of those one-hundred-plus-item days.
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| Partial image of database results for 1768-07-23 |
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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.
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There was one indication in today's DayBook that the shopping patterns at the Colden Store had changed from six months ago. It was revealed in the rum purchases.
Rum was divided into two main categories: 1) Rum imported from the West Indies which was darker, stronger, and more expensive and 2) Rum distilled in New York (or New England). In the Day Book they were distinguished as W Rum and Y Rum. When the 'W or Y' was omitted it was easy to identify them by the price difference. W Rum sold for five shillings and Y Rum for three-and-one-half shillings.
In the prior entries in the DayBook (see 1767 for example below) the split between Y Rum and W Rum purchases was about 50/50. It appears that customers were not adverse to the higher price of the W Rum as in many cases they diluted it and the stronger W Rum would go further. Another reason for W Rum purchase may have been a taste preference or even a statement of status.
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| Split between W and Y Rum in 1767 |
Of the 121 transactions on this day, 250 years-ago, twenty-six were for rum. However, a new preference for the Y Rum is evident. Only five gallons of the fifty-nine were for W Rum.
Did the store preferences reflect an act of protest? or was it just a matter of what was available in the store? This is not known to the author, but it is clear that the purchasing patterns had changed. The colonial protests would continue in 1769 until the Townshend Duties were repealed in 1770.
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